curing dry rock question

[xtlosx]

Hey guys... I have a bunch of rubble rock that is laying around from Marco Rocks, and I want to cure it so was wondering what the best procedure is. Can I start with fresh salt water, or do I need to let it sit in WC salt water...

Do I need a skimmer in there, or just heater\powerhead? Do I need to start a cycle or should there be enough of dead matter to get it started..

Thanks guys, and I feel like I should really know this, but just want to get a sanity check.

 

[jfuka78]

Completely dry, no need to cure I believe.

 

[xtlosx]

Completely dry, no need to cure I believe.

Oh you saw what happened to this rock, it needs to cure....

 

[forextrader]

Dry rock leaches phosphate like crazy! So, do a 50/50 vinegar/water bath for about 6 hours, rinse in RODI for as long as you like (multiple times if necessary), then do saltwater cure process with powerheads and heater (skimmer if you are able to).

 

[xtlosx]

Dry rock leaches phosphate like crazy! So, do a 50/50 vinegar/water bath for about 6 hours, rinse in RODI for as long as you like (multiple times if necessary), then do saltwater cure process with powerheads and heater (skimmer if you are able to).

That's the reason I'm doing this... this rock wasn't cured, and was just fine for about 3 months in my tank. All of a sudden one day, cyano started matting everywhere, leaching whatever was in here, lost some fish, and corals, etc.. Then magically after water changes, CFO, Carbon... it was GONE and now it hasn't happened since that stage.

This is why i'm taking the precaution of doing this in another 10G tank. I have a powerhead, and heater, no skimmer. Can I just make fresh salt water, put the rock in there, and change it every few weeks when I do water changes? I'll put used salt water in there next time, just don't have 10G of used tank water on hand.

I've normally bought either rock from an established tank in the past, or already cured, so this is kind of a newbie question for me..

 

[forextrader]

The phosphate leaches out because it is more concentrated than the level of phosphate in the water. It takes awhile for the inside of the rock to be fully soaked. So, the best way to leach it out is with RODI water first then do the curing process with saltwater.

 

[ct_vol]

On the phone, so won't make a lengthy post. Will circle back this evening to make sure your question was answered.

I don't see any benefit in soaking LR in vinegar to cure. Vinegar will break down the outermost layer of the LR and release those phosphates, but will not prevent any leaching of phosphates from the rock that wasn't disolved. It is not like soaking equipment where you're trying to remove machine oils from manufacturing. Anyways, I would just throw it in some saltwater with some GFO, do some water changes and you're good to go.